Customised employment in Australia: where are we now?
Overview
This report investigates the implementation of Customised Employment (CE) in Australia, focusing on its effectiveness and the barriers faced by National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants in accessing CE services.
Through qualitative interviews with participants – including staff, carers, and people with disabilities – the study explores how CE is being delivered and identifies gaps in training, funding, and policy support.
Findings reveal that CE offers strong employment outcomes for people with intellectual and complex disabilities, especially when its four stages – Discovery, Job Search Planning, Job Development & Negotiation, and Post-Employment Support – are properly applied. However, challenges include inconsistent NDIS funding, lack of formal staff training, and limited use of tools like Job Analysis Records.
The recommendations align with the Disability Royal Commission’s(Opens in a new tab/window) call to embed CE into the future Disability Employment Services model, reinforcing CE’s role in achieving equitable, mainstream employment for people with disabilities. This report is also available as a video in Plain English.
Key recommendations
- Integrate CE into national disability employment policies.
- Train NDIS personnel on CE processes and funding alignment.
- Develop an accredited CE curriculum tailored to the Australian context.
- Introduce an Employment Counsellor training module to support holistic service delivery.